Chapter 232 Turmoil Everywhere
War and chaos engulfed Shaanxi Province, while hidden currents stirred across the land.
In August, Yan Qian'er, captain of Bu Zhan Ni's First Company, led his forces into Chengcheng County, their spearhead pointed directly at Fengyuan Town.
Liang Shixian, the Magistrate of Chengcheng County, once again rallied the Chengcheng County militia and the Fengyuan Town militia to fiercely defend Fengyuan Town, fighting with all their might.
This time, Liang Shixian had prepared extensively. In addition to the five hundred plastic catapults borrowed from Gao Family Village, he had also manufactured several hundred proper bows. Nearly a thousand militia members held the town stubbornly, their arrows raining down like a storm.
Soon after, Military Inspector Fang Wushang arrived with his troops, driving back Yan Qian'er.
In September, the prisoners undergoing labor reform at Gao Family Village completed their sentences and were all released, embarking on new lives. Simultaneously, the Heyang bandit, Fan Shan Yue, once again entered Chengcheng County, launching a major attack on Quangou Village, only to be repelled by the Quangou Village militia and Military Inspector Fang Wushang.
In October, Wang Zuogua of Yichuan grew powerful and no longer concealed his true identity, revealing his real name, Wang Zishun, known in the Jianghu as Wang Zuogua. He marched swaggeringly through Yichuan County with an army of eight thousand, but failed to see the road ahead, colliding head-on with Hong Chengchou, the Shaanxi Grain Intendant. Wang Zuogua suffered a brutal beating from Hong's personal guard, suffering a crushing defeat and fleeing back into Huanglong Mountain, which in turn placed Bai Family Fortress back on high alert.
On November 3rd, an imperial edict convened a Grand Cabinet selection. Court officials listed candidates such as Cheng Jiming, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Qian Qianyi, Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Eleven other individuals, including Zheng Yiwei, Li Pengfang, Sun Shenxing, He Ruchong, Xue Sansheng, Sheng Yihong, Luo Yuyi, Wang Yongguang, and Cao Yubian, were also recommended. However, Wen Tiren, Minister of Rites, and Zhou Yanru, a Vice Minister, were excluded due to their lack of popular standing. The great factional struggles of the late Ming Dynasty had officially begun...
Tension mounted.
Yet, Gao Family Village remained enveloped in an atmosphere of peace—no, that wasn't quite right. It would be more accurate to say that the farmers of the Valley of Exiles were staring at the cornfields they had painstakingly cultivated from the moment they broke ground, their expressions a mix of fear and anticipation!
The corn harvest season had arrived.
In truth, Li Daoxuan himself was a little nervous. After all, he was a city-bred child, unable to distinguish one grain from another, completely clueless about agriculture. Although he had printed a comprehensive guide titled "Corn Cultivation from Scratch" for Zhao Sheng, he had no idea if it was reliable or if it would even work.
If it failed, and the villagers' efforts were wasted, leaving them heartbroken and disappointed, he, as the Heavenly Lord, would be equally unhappy.
Now was the moment of truth.
Zhao Sheng, his heart pounding, walked to the edge of a dense cornfield.
Corn stalks, nearly as tall as a man, stood proudly, bearing numerous plump cobs. Still encased in green leaves, it was impossible to see how they had developed inside.
If these were crops the farmers had grown themselves, someone would have long since peeled back the leaves to sneak a peek at what was inside. But this was "celestial grain," planted using "celestial methods," and the Heavenly Lord had expressly commanded that "all cultivation must strictly follow the methods written in the Heavenly Book."
The honest, simple farmers dared not defy the Heavenly Lord's decree; they didn't peek, completely unaware of what had grown within those spindle-shaped cobs.
Only when the harvest time prescribed in the "celestial formula" arrived did they invite Zhao Sheng over, asking him to personally reveal what this miraculous "celestial grain" truly was.
Everyone held their breath.
Even Li Daoxuan found himself gripping his hands, beads of sweat forming.
Zhao Sheng, his hands trembling, grasped a corn cob and pulled hard...
Everyone cheered in unison: "It's off!" Zhao Sheng yelled, but it didn't break free.
The crowd fell silent.
Zhao Sheng tried again, straining: "Aiyaaa!"
Still, it didn’t budge.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances.
Zhao Sheng panted heavily: "Hoo, hoo, hoo! It's so much effort to get this thing off! Is farm work always this tiring? Hoo, hoo... Someone... please help me..."
Everyone simultaneously covered their faces, slapping their hands against their cheeks in a perfectly synchronized "Slap!"
"You fool, are you trying to rip off the stalk? What are you trying to break free from the corn stem with all that force?"
Finally, the old Village Chief of Jiejia Ditch stepped forward. Though dry and lean, barely reaching Zhao Sheng’s shoulder, the old man was remarkably nimble and strong. He grabbed a corn cob and, with a decisive snap, as if breaking a neck, twisted it off.
All the farmers in the Valley of Exiles erupted in cheers: "It's off! Wonderful, it's finally off!"
Li Daoxuan couldn’t help but pump his fist: "Alright! It’s off." He paused. "Wait, no! It’s just a corn cob that’s off. What the heck is there to be so happy about? It’s all Zhao Sheng’s fault for derailing the moment."
The old Village Chief stood there, flustered, holding the corn cob, unsure what to do. Several seconds passed before he remembered he needed to peel it open and look. After another flurry of clumsy movements, he finally stripped away the leaves.
A golden-yellow corn cob, plump-kerneled, glistening, and perfectly round, was revealed to everyone.
Everyone stared, collectively taken aback: "So, this is the fruit of what we planted in July. It just grows on a cob, much like rice or wheat grows on a stalk.”
After this realization, a sudden thought struck the crowd, and they exclaimed: "Oh my, this crop produces such a large cob! How much does one weigh?"
The Village Chief of Jiejia Ditch weighed the corn cob in his hand, his face etched with disbelief: "This one cob, at least half a catty or more.”
"My heavens, one cob weighs over half a catty?”
"There’s a core inside; you need to remove that for the true weight.”
"Even after removing that, it’ll still be close to half a catty.”
"Oh my goodness! This yield is astounding."
"If one cob is this heavy, how much can one *mu* of land produce?"
"At least five hundred catties!"
They were accustomed to wheat ears, but those were truly minuscule compared to these corn cobs; they weren't even in the same league.
The honest, simple farmers were utterly stunned by the corn’s incredible yield.
After a moment of frozen silence, the villagers burst into jubilant shouts: "Celestial grain! It’s incredible! The celestial grain is truly incredible!”
"On this barren loess plateau, we actually harvested five hundred catties of grain from one *mu* of land, heavens above!”
"It’s not some mystical celestial grain, these are earthly crops Xing Honglang brought from Xi’an. We were only able to grow them so well because of the celestial methods and Celestial Fertilizer provided by the Heavenly Lord.”
"Oh, right, right! It’s the efficacy of the celestial methods and Celestial Fertilizer.”
"May the Heavenly Lord bless us!”
"May the Heavenly Lord bless us!”
The farmers of the Valley of Exiles cheered with delight, overjoyed beyond measure.
Li Daoxuan also breathed a sigh of relief: "Success! Excellent, my little people’s hard work wasn’t in vain. Now that they have cultivation experience, if they continuously optimize their methods and diligently control pests, the yield should increase even further."
Of course, that couldn’t be rushed.
Just as he thought this, he saw tiny specks of light rising from the farmers in the Valley of Exiles, integrating into the box. Then, the box burst forth with a golden glow, and the Salvation Index surged dramatically once more.
His field of view had expanded again, and this time, the increase was significant, for the number of farmers who felt happy and content with their lives, whose souls had been saved, was considerable.
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